Blog - The Weapons, Vehicles, and Other Gear Coming with Battlefield V

General Development Feedback

- With so many choices, how do you choose what to include in the game? Is this a difficult process for the dev team?

- David Sirland (Multiplayer Producer): WW2 is challenging as it has a huge amount of hardware to pick from, but with any project we have a game direction to follow. And, with BFV we were going for the unplayed and untold, some lesser known vehicles like the Valentine tank, the M30 Drilling shotgun, but at the same time deliver on the WW2 fantasy like driving a Tiger I or shooting the MG42. Gameplay spread also dictates what we want to include from the get-go – covering all types of playstyles and allow for more players to play their game is key. It’s an iterative process, and it’s sometimes difficult but fun, especially WW2 as there is so much to choose from on where to start – and where the live service takes us.

General Vehicles Feedback

Do you plan to give people more than 2 vehicle spawns or at least separate them somehow by vehicle class?

DS: We are making a push to expand the number of vehicles we can cram into a large map. We want more! We'll see where we end up for launch, and how far we can improve that post.

Why the insistence on making every vehicle available on every map? Does that tend to make the game harder to balance?

DS: Different to balance, yes, not harder. It’s all about player choice – and we will most likely allow some hybrid solution in the future (with in game vehicles as well as brought slots like we have now).

Will vehicles in BFV behave like BF4/BF3 in the sense that the more skilled you are the more effective they are?

DS: Yes, even more so than before. Much like our gunplay, we want our vehicle play to reward skilled play, tactics and strategies. Plus, this time around you can specialize vehicles to really excel within a specific role and boost your playstyle.

What was the overall goal for vehicles to be integrated with infantry? what are some ways to use it the best?

DS: Battlefield has always been about the full sandbox of war. That includes both infantry and vehicles to the largest extent we can muster. We do have to limit this per mode/map, but it’s always a goal to include more if possible. The best way to utilize the full spectrum is to play together as a squad, and a team. Help your vehicles excel, and they will help you win, and vice versa.

We assume that the number of vehicles will rise per new faction through Tides of War releases, but will previously released/existing factions also get new vehicles?

DS: Potentially, there is no rules here. If something fits the gameplay we want to expand with we are very much open to expand anyplace. We want to show the evolution of war over time and most factions are in it until the end.

Will there be maps in the game that are more tank and/or plane dominant.

DS: Yes, absolutely. We want to give all types of players all aspects of the second World War, and you saw some of the biggest tank and air battles ever seen, and this will be reflected in the game both at launch and through the service.

Will the upgrade trees for vehicles be expanded upon to include the different variants of the same vehicle?

DS: No, it will be considered a new vehicle with its own specialization trees. Much like some of the airplane variants work now.

Will we perhaps see vehicles that serve as mobile resupply or health stations?

DS: Yes, works great with towing.

We say specific vehicles in trailers and marketing assets. Will those make it to the game?

DS: We have lots of cool stuff in the pipeline, some of which has been seen before in marketing materials of various kinds. Our upcoming roadmaps will outline what’s coming next in more detail!

What are the steps (beside Attrition) taken to prevent vehicle operators to dominate the opposition and rack in tons of kills with little worry, a la Mortar Truck/Ilya Muromets?

DS: If something is powerful, it will require more teamwork and player skill to reach full potential in BFV. We are aware of the previous problems some vehicles and features pose in this regard, and will err on the side of caution here. The reinforcement system is also a way we can control access, and allow only specific squads at specific times – in a limited fashion access to the most powerful and impactful vehicles.

Do we have to buy each vehicle for each route we choose on upgrade trees or will we be able to re-spec each vehicle on our whim?

Ryan McArthur (Producer): Our intention is to allow you to re-spec your vehicle. Caveat: we’re still working on this and will communicate when/if this is ready to go.

Will there be additional unlockable vehicles by using a specific vehicle proficiently (get X kills with the Stuka to get a new plane or a variant of the Stuka)?

DS: The mission system allows us to string together things like this. For instance, the weapons all have a late rank special assignment that upon completion allows you to unlock unique visual customization for that weapon. This delivery method can be used to great effect daisy chaining gameplay as well if we see fit down the line.

Planes Feedback

How do you plan to balance planes and infantry combat on the ground? During the beta not many were worried about a plane when they were a soldier on the ground.

DS: We are playtesting, playtesting and playtesting currently to get the macro level balance between air, land and infantry just right. It’s very much on our radar, and something we expect to keep tuning as we add features and gameplay changes with Tides of War.

Will there be an Air Combat specific game mode?

DS: With Tides of War, we have a unique way to feature special modes and unique gameplay experiences like these, and ensure there is enough players available to fill them during the limited time they are active. With popularity as our guide, we’ll then promote some experiences to be available at all times.

Will infantry get splash damage from an attacking plane?

DS: Yes, if they are close enough to the round with splash (not all aircraft rounds do have a splash damage component).

Will planes be spawning on the ground in general or only at certain flags?

DS: In certain maps, on certain points.

Will landing strips return for planes on some maps or not?

DS: Yes, Hamada features an [active] airfield on the G flag.

General Weapons Feedback

We saw many different weapons in trailers and marketing assets, like the Sjogren Inertial. What happened to those? Will they eventually release?

DS: Yes, most of these are part of the first chapter of Tides of War, which starts close after launch.

Did you design certain weapons per certain classes with certain combat roles to be more effective on certain maps or certain areas within maps?

DS: Yes, but the other way around. As Combat Roles are a subset of a class, the Combat Roles are designed to bolster a playstyle (which can include one or more types of weapons depending), and they are absolutely more or less effective based on map and mode.

Can we get weapon breakdown per Class?

DS: That should be possible, we’ll get on that.

Will visual recoil random animation while controlling vertical recoil with ARs remain as it was in Beta?

Florian Le Bihan (Game Designer): There is minimal “visual recoil” already in some cases moving sideways, etc., and this has been tuned some more as well. But in general, it is close. After the Open Beta we actually made the first bullet to be as “pure” as it can be to always give you a first impression of “what should you do next” to control your weapon. In reality we have been really hammering hard on making animations and weapon behaviors (recoil, etc.) to be as free as possible from any annoying visual recoil.

What is the specific extra ammo we are getting for weapons per Attrition changes?

DS: We are still iterating to get the perfect balance, so full specifics might be outdated before launch, but in general automatic weapons on Assault and Medic gets +1 magazine at spawn, and +1 max magazine carry limit. Combined with all spawns now have a single med pouch, the supply depots on all maps only being pre-built on the HQ and the adjacent objectives (the rest must be built with the Fortification system) and the ammunition from killed enemy pickups (ammo-loot) values have also been tuned.

Will you be able to play any weapon on any faction? Such as being a German soldier using American weapons.

DS: Yes, currently there is no limitations here based on game mode or map or anything like that.

Will there be any high capacity LMGs?

DS: The MG-42 has a specialization that unlocks the big magazine/belt. If that’s what’s referred to, then yes.

Will Support receive buffs and more gadgets, like mortars, bullet proof shields, etc.?

DS: Support has gotten access to Medium Machine Guns (MMGs) like the MG 34, and the MG42. They are special in that they now penetrate the basic cover built by Fortifications (with a damage reduction) – and they also tear down those Fortifications over time (you shoot enough bullets into a sandbag it will eventually crumble, and needing to be rebuilt). Combined with the “Machine Gunner” Combat Role, that spots suppressed players these weapons (especially with the belt upgrade) gives support class a massive boost in some cases compared to Open Beta gameplay. Future gadgets will be spread over the classes evenly most likely, but always coming from what gameplay unlocks new playstyles, or changes the “meta” the most.

Sniper rifles seemed to be predominately used in the Beta. What can we use to counteract this?

DS: Snipers were the #3 most used class in the Beta, and the sniper weapons were far from the best performing weapons at ranges (hello STG 44!) So, while it might have felt that way, it really wasn’t the case overall. Countering snipers is possible with all weapon classes (but with varying difficulty). A massive penetration pass on most things also helps in this regard, as many objects now will be penetrable by regular fire, causing snipers to have to move some more.

Will the BAR (Browning-Automatic-Rifle) be an Assault weapon or Support weapon?

DS: That remains to be seen, perhaps it fits better as part of a new hybrid class? We’re open to what makes the most sense here from a gameplay point of view.

Will we see Suppressors for weapons?

DS: Yes, but not for launch.

Are there any thoughts on restricting what kind of scopes can be attached to the different type of weapons?

Florian Le Bihan (Game Designer): This is already a thing, but implemented only in a few cases. We already limit the sights based on the type of weapons, for instance SMGs will never have access to sights that zoom more than 3x, ect.

Are specific grenade types locked to Class like in Beta?

DS: Some are, yes.

How do you intend to balance starter weapons against fully decked out ones?

DS: By giving them some of the specializations pre-set, removing the bigger differences between a fully upgraded weapon and the starter variant. This may or may not mean you need to progress a “bare” version from scratch though, but hopefully by then you’ll be proficient enough to make that transition easier.

Can you tell us how often new weapons will be added to the game?

Ryan McArthur (Producer): Tides of War is an ongoing process that unlocks gameplay and cosmetics over time. Although we have not set a specified cadence, more information on how this works in coming weeks!

Why do we see early-war weapons and vehicles when playing maps themed later in WW2? Shouldn’t see more later-war equipment?

DS: The launch maps are all early war chronologically speaking, and we’ll try to stay true to that. But that’s not going to hinder us from adding gameplay or content we see fit or good enough outside of that.

What is the difference between Semi-Automatic Rifles and Self-Loading Rifles?

Florian Le Bihan (Game Designer): Assaults have Semi-automatics, And recon have the Self-loading rifles. They vary in the playstyle and way to effectively use them. Semi-automatics are mostly faster rate of fire and don’t hit so hard (around 35 damage per bullet), SLRs however hit like a truck (about 50 damage per bullet) but fire much slower. As such, the semi-autos are a better fit for medium to long range but will hardly compete with sniper rifles (Bolt Action Rifles). SLRs on the other hand are made for long range and can compete with Sniper Rifles.

Where is the M1 Garand, BAR, SVT-40, PPSH 41, and trench shotgun?

DS: More weapons will be added through the Tides of War narrative in connection to the chapters of the war. Obviously, themed and connected to nations joining the war, and fighting in new places with new hardware.

Can you briefly detail gun behavior when moving, such as crouching running, sliding, or smoother movement when shooting?

Florian Le Bihan (Game Designer): Briefly, jumping and sliding all share the same high inaccuracy - it’s up to 10x the inaccuracy of what you would get when standing still, if not higher for some weapons. Crouch and Prone has the best accuracy but it’s not by a lot compared to standing. When transitioning from a pose to another, we have some transition curves that allows us to keep the accuracy in check and make sure you don’t get too much from stance changing (which could be abusable), for instance. We’ve made a few tweaks to the animations from stand to crouch and back to stand to make that change a bit more viable during a gunfight. We’ve also looked at some landing animations (when jumping and hitting the ground) which will represent more accurately how you regain control once on the ground.

Impact Grenades are seen again? What are you doing to mitigate against some of the balance issues we’ve seen with Impact Grenades in past Battlefields?

DS: They are fairly weak, and with attrition. Spam of these is no longer possible. You can use them as a tool but need to follow up (or pre-damage) the enemies to have any effectiveness with them.

Why are there 3 SMGs that are all basically variants of the MP18, in the MP28, MP34, and the EMP. Like why would you include more than one of those at all?

DS: They look the same, they act the same, they’re practically the same guns. They don’t act the same at all – or we wouldn’t have included them. That’s part of the overarching gunplay design (distinct, different weapon gameplay). So in our game, they are very much not the same guns. A weapon is technically very close to another variant of another weapon in real life doesn’t stop from making meaningful gameplay differences to ensure that they all are interesting to play.

Bonus Round!

Erik Ortman (UX Designer): We are holding back duplicate weapons for launch (with the intent of bringing them back as they are great as loadouts, we just need to polish the experience) and allow you to re-spec your weapons.

Assault Class Feedback

Will the AT (Anti-Tank) gun come to Assault Class because this class is focused on destroying vehicles and buildings or will this come more like special gadget or special weapon for the Recon class?

DS: The assault class is the AT class, and it has the more direct AT gadgets of the game at launch. Most classes have something that can hurt vehicles (to some degree however) in their arsenal, but remember vehicles do require more damage and teamwork to take down now.

Medic Class Feedback

Will the Medics get a more range effective/flexible weaponry category?

DS: At launch SMGs are their category. We are looking at adding additional classes to the class. But, the launch SMGs cover a quite large range of the close to mid-range, and they are some of the highest DPS weapons in the game within those ranges.

Loadouts Feedback

Why is the Medic tied into 1 weapon type where other classes have 2 or 3 types. Can you provide the reasoning behind this?

DS: Mainly because SMGs makes sense (medics are frontline fighters and support in BFV), but also because we are planning some additional weapon classes that fit this slot, and we have enough starting SMGs to kick off the game.

Ammo Feedback

Will weapons have different ammo types, like AP, hollow point, slug rounds, etc.?

DS: Potentially, we’re not closing the door on anything at this point. If there is a need for something like this we’d approach it and adapt over time.

Gadgets & Reinforcements

Are there any Squad Leader only gadgets?

DS: Not unless you count the Reinforcement radio, and that’s a pretty good one. But there is potential to extend the Squad Leader role over time for sure.

Will there be more gadgets and reinforcements added throughout Tides of War?

DS: Yes, that’s really the point.

After hearing confirmations that Limpets would be back in last week’s AMAA we were really hoping that it would be a launch gadget. Since it was relevant to the British forces is there a chance that this item will be available soon after launch. This is by far the best close quarters aggressive support gadget and would make an excellent addition to supports running shotguns.

Florian Le Bihan (Game Designer): The Shaped Charge (name to be confirmed) will be available post-launch.

What are the differences between ammo crates and ammo pouches. Will both, as seen in Beta, only resupply ammo? No gadgets and grenade resupplies?

DS: Ammo crates contain a bunch of ammo pouches, you plop it on the ground for teammates to use and deplete. Ammo pouches contain ammo. You consume them (activate) to get more ammo for your primary and secondary weapons – or if you’re a support, you can throw them to teammates in need ammunition (lacking ammo).

What’s the differences between health crates and health pouches?

DS: Health crates contain a bunch of med pouches, you plop it on the ground for teammates to use and deplete. Med pouches contain health. You consume them (activate) to trigger healing on yourself – or if you’re a medic, you can throw them to teammates in need of either healing (lacking health) or med pouch (lacking the single carry pouch).

Do ammo and health crates have an aura, as in auto heal if near it?

DS: No, they are interact to pick up a pouch of respective kind.

The article was somewhat vague in terms of specific ammo capacity. Can you provide us a glimpse of values chart of the weapons ammo capacities?

DS: See answer above in relation to this.

This attrition now emphasizes more on teamwork and hoping your team mates will supply you? What if they won't? More often than not, they are too busy doing something else. Do we deserve to get punished for their actions?

DS: The attrition settings we are going for (and have mostly reached internally post open beta) is to get rid of the “busy work” caused by the beta’s setting where you were more or less forced to stock up before fights each spawn, and instead allow for that to be a possible choice during a successful life. Having a well composed squad is more rewarding than playing alone, as you’ll have access to ammo and health quicker. Yes, and that’s the point. But under no circumstance are we trying to punish anyone. It should be more rewarding to play the squad, especially factoring in the other perks like reinforcements and communication.

Attrition promotes anti-camping for snipers. How? If they camp near a supply station, then they get supplied all the time and bad news for us who are low on ammo. Especially that you removed 3d spotting. They are invincible and invisible.

DS: Attrition promotes anti-camping of successful ranged classes (not only snipers), as all mobile resources are finite. Placement of all supply stations on all maps are taking into consideration exploiting similar things and pose no real problem in this regard. Also, camping near a known resource isn’t really a good idea (it’s the first place to check for them), and is easily countered. Going for more ammo at a supply station that isn’t on an owned flag should be dangerous, so a little more foresight is required to not end up in that situation. This situation is much less common (by far, especially on the automatic weapons) with the new base-attrition settings compared to the beta as well.

It’s hard to notice supplies when they were given from a Squad mate. For example, the med and ammo boxes weren't really discernible in all the fighting and people would usually bypass them leaving support players wondering why no one was using them. What are you doing to improve visibility?

DS: Yes, this is an area we have been spending lots of attention – and we have several great UX and UI improvements here, as well as audio VO lines etc.

Will you also improve notification and visibility of team/Squad mates who need ammo/health?

DS: This is very much part of above. What was in Beta lacked almost all these states.

Anything we don’t know about Reinforcement attrition?

DS: We are adding the reinforcement supply drop, which helps attrition on the go for squads.